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CHAPTER 8: The Executive Branch: Bureaucracy in a Democracy
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The 2003 creation of the Department of Homeland Security exemplified the principle that
bureaucracies are sometimes created
a. even against tremendous antibureaucratic sentiment among the citizenry.
b. for no apparent reason at all.
c. for political reasons, such as to avoid blame for failing to respond to a threat.
d. because of the history principle.
e. in response to petitions from foreign governments.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Remembering
2. According to National Election Studies opinion polls from 1964 to 2008, the public belief that
there is a lot of waste in government was at its highest point in
a. 1968, after the adoption of “Great Society” legislation under Lyndon Johnson.
b. 1976, after the Watergate scandal turned public opinion against the presidency.
c. 1980, coinciding with the election of Ronald Reagan.
d. 1996, prompting Bill Clinton to promise that “the era of big government is over.”
e. 2002, in response to the slow government cleanup and rebuilding of the World Trade
Center.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Remembering
3. What are the actual offices, tasks, and principles of organization employed to coordinate the work
of personnel called?
a. polity d. bureaucracy
b. regime e. republican government
c. delegacy
ANS: D DIF: Easy TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Remembering
6. What is a bureaucracy?
a. the place where bureaus are made
b. the loose network of presidential staffers and political consultants that sets the course of
the nation
c. all the people who work for the government
d. the partnership between congressional committees, agencies, and organized interests
e. the complex structure of offices, tasks, rules, and principles of organization employed by
all large-scale institutions to coordinate the work of their personnel
ANS: E DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Remembering
7. Why do the authors of the text say bureaucracy makes government possible?
a. It makes for the efficient implementation of policy and allows a credible commitment to
the long-term existence of a policy.
b. It takes the power to implement policy from the hands of corrupt politicians and places it
in the hands of bureaucrats.
c. It increases the responsiveness of the government to the wishes of the people.
d. It removes politics from the policy-making process, putting apolitical bureaucrats in
charge instead of politicians.
e. The workforce of government employees provides a powerful political force for
expanding government spending.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Understanding
8. “When created, bureaucracies assume a status of relative permanence, and future developments are
shaped, as the history principle suggests, by these initial conditions.” This point of view is most
consistent with which of the following concepts?
a. principal-agent problems d. agency loss
b. path dependency e. the rationality principle
c. coalitional drift
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Applying
9. “Bureaucrats are charged with implementing statutes and policies produced by their ‘masters,’ the
elected politicians in the White House and on Capitol Hill. But the relative permanence enjoyed by
the bureaucracy is a form of insulation—servants have discretion and masters are limited in their
ability to control them.” This statement reflects which of the following concepts?
a. agency loss d. agency representation
b. coalitional drift e. implementation
c. collective action problem
ANS: A DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Understanding
11. The efforts of departments and agencies to translate laws into specific bureaucratic routines are
called
a. lex republica. d. implementation.
b. effectuation. e. codification.
c. calcification.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Remembering
12. A form of implementation in which bureaucrats try to discern and carry out the intention of their
political superiors is known as
a. undersight. d. representation.
b. adjudication. e. elucidation.
c. interpretation.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Remembering
13. When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specified that the congressional mandate to
provide clean drinking water would be interpreted as meaning water could have no more than .01
microgram per liter of arsenic and still be considered safe for drinking, it exercised the power of
a. rule making. d. administrative adjudication.
b. bureaucratic oversight. e. veto authority.
c. discretionary effectuation.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Applying
15. The U.S. Forest Service’s ban on road building and development in national forests is an example
of
a. oversight. d. administrative adjudication.
b. rule making. e. executive legislation.
c. administrative evil.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Applying
16. After the rules for a federal public agency are approved, where are they published?
a. National Record d. Congressional Record
b. Federal Register e. U.S. Regulatory Code
c. Washington Post
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Remembering
17. After the rules for a federal public agency are approved, they
a. supersede prior Supreme Court decisions.
b. establish minimum standards for state-level regulation.
c. are read aloud to the U.S. House and Senate.
d. must be accepted by a referendum of affected industries and agencies.
e. have the force of law.
ANS: E DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Remembering
18. The application of rules and precedents to specific cases to settle disputes with regulated parties is
a. oversight. d. administrative adjudication.
b. rule making. e. civilian law.
c. administrative evil.
ANS: D DIF: Easy TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Remembering
19. In the process of administrative adjudication, executive agencies act essentially like a(n)
a. legislature. d. interest group.
b. court. e. therapist.
c. police agency.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Remembering
20. Which of the following is a constraint that government bureaucrats face to a greater degree than
private (business) bureaucrats?
a. Government bureaucrats are often not allowed to keep a thorough paper trail.
b. Government bureaucrats are subject to much greater public scrutiny.
c. Government bureaucrats may not make Freedom of Information Act requests.
d. Government bureaucrats do not have to conform to the same strict standards for hiring and
firing as private bureaucrats do.
e. Government bureaucrats must consider the effects of their decisions on company stock
prices.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Remembering
21. Some bureaucracies are intended to promote, serve, or represent a particular interest. What is the
general term for this type of department or bureau?
a. advocacy institution d. clientele agency
b. constituent liaison e. interest group
c. ombudsman
ANS: D DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
22. The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security are both examples of
which level of bureaucracy?
a. bureau d. government corporation
b. cabinet department e. committee
c. independent agency
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Applying
23. In the United States, the head of a cabinet-level department is usually called a(n)
a. general. d. chief adviser.
b. minister. e. ambassador.
c. secretary.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
24. The highest level of responsibility for specialized programs like the Federal Bureau of
Investigations and the U.S. Forest Service generally rests
a. at the bureau level. d. with the general counsel.
b. at the cabinet level. e. with the Supreme Court.
c. with the judicial officer.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
26. A type of government agency that is outside the departmental structure but operates more like a
private business that charges for its services is called a(n)
a. cabinet department. d. independent regulatory commission.
b. independent agency. e. government contractor.
c. government corporation.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
27. Governmental agencies set up by Congress outside the departmental structure, like the
Environmental Protection Agency, are known as
a. cabinet departments.
b. independent agencies.
c. shell corporations.
d. independent regulatory commissions.
e. rogue agencies.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
28. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is most accurately classified as a(n)
a. cabinet department.
b. independent agency.
c. government corporation.
d. independent regulatory commission.
e. government contractor.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Applying
29. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is not part of a cabinet department, is most
accurately classified as a(n)
a. distinct bureau.
b. multinational corporation.
c. government corporation.
d. independent regulatory commission.
e. independent agency.
ANS: E DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Applying
30. An agency with broad discretion to make rules and the expertise and time to promulgate them is
called a(n)
a. cabinet department.
b. independent agency.
c. government corporation.
d. nonprofit agency.
e. independent regulatory commission.
ANS: E DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
31. In 1887, Congress established the __________ as the first independent regulatory agency.
a. Transportation Administration
b. Interstate Commerce Commission
c. Railroad Trust and Oversight Authority
d. Industry Safety and Accountability Board
e. National Institute for Standards and Technology
ANS: B DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Applying
33. The Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Labor, and Commerce, each designed to serve or
represent a particular set of interests, are most accurately classified together as
a. welfare agencies. d. regulatory agencies.
b. revenue agencies. e. government corporations.
c. clientele agencies.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Applying
34. What does the suggestion that clientele agencies provide functional representation mean?
a. Clients hold clientele agencies accountable if the agencies fail to represent them properly.
b. Clientele agencies learn the interests and needs of their clients and then advocate for them
in Washington.
c. Clientele agencies are composed of individuals who match the characteristics of their
clients.
d. Clientele agencies serve as trustees and do what they think is right for their clients,
regardless of the agency’s expressed interests.
e. Clients vote for members of the clientele agency to ensure they adequately represent the
clients’ interests.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Understanding
35. Most clientele agencies locate a relatively large proportion of their total personnel in
a. Washington, D.C., to be close to the center of national governance.
b. field offices dealing directly with those they serve.
c. New York to be near the nation’s financial sector.
d. the central states to support agricultural initiatives.
e. overseas embassies to promote foreign trade.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
36. What is the most important revenue agency in the United States today?
a. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) d. Division of Taxation
b. Department of the Treasury e. Federal Reserve
c. Federal Reserve Bank
ANS: A DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
37. As long as the United States is not in a state of insurrection, which of the following is tasked with
conducting most of the nation’s internal security?
a. National Security Service
b. Department of State
c. Agency for Internal Security
d. Department of Defense
e. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security
ANS: E DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
39. Which two agencies take center stage among agencies for external national security?
a. the State Department and the FBI
b. the State Department and the Department of Defense
c. the Department of Defense and the FBI
d. the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security
e. the State Department and Department of International Affairs
ANS: B DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
41. The defense bureaucracy ensures political support among elected officials by allocating military
bases, contracts, facilities, and jobs to the various states and districts from which the legislators are
elected according to the
a. seeding theorem. d. law of benefit dispersion.
b. fertilizer principle. e. geographic decentralization.
c. distributive tendency.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
42. A department, bureau, or independent agency whose primary mission is to eliminate or restrict
certain behaviors defined as negative (either in themselves or in their consequences) is called a(n)
a. independent commission.
b. social agency.
c. regulatory agency.
d. agency for the maintenance of the union.
e. prohibitive agency.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
43. Most of the federal regulatory agencies date back to their initial creation in the
a. 1890s. d. 1980s.
b. 1930s. e. 1990s.
c. 1960s.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
45. During the 1930s, most of the important regulatory programs were delegated to independent
commissions with direct responsibility to Congress rather than to the president. This lack of
presidential control was the basis of the 1930s reference to these agencies as the
a. administrative zombies. d. ghosts in the bureaucratic machine.
b. headless fourth branch. e. congressional machine.
c. scarecrow without a brain.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
46. Most of the important regulatory programs were delegated to independent commissions with direct
responsibility to
a. the Federal Reserve. d. the public interest.
b. the president. e. Congress.
c. the Supreme Court.
ANS: E DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
47. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an example of an agency whose primary
mission is to eliminate or restrict certain behaviors, also known as a
a. paternal bureau. d. rule-making agency.
b. regulatory agency. e. interest agency.
c. fiscal bureaucracy.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Applying
48. Which agencies influence how much money is in the economy, who has money, who has credit,
and what incentives for saving and spending exist?
a. agencies of redistribution
b. agencies for the maintenance of the union
c. clientele agencies
d. regulatory agencies
e. Robin Hood agencies
ANS: A DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
49. Policies having to do with taxing and spending are generally referred to as
a. fiscal. d. pecuniary.
b. welfare. e. treasury.
c. monetary.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
50. Policies having to do with banks, credit, and currency are generally referred to as
a. fiscal. d. pecuniary.
b. welfare. e. treasury.
c. monetary.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
52. Which choice is an example of a government department agency that is both an agency for the
maintenance of the Union and a fiscal agency?
a. Treasury Department
b. Federal Reserve System
c. Congressional Budget Office
d. Securities and Exchange Commission
e. Bureau of the Budget
ANS: A DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Applying
53. Which federal agency has authority over the credit rates and lending activities of the nation’s most
important banks?
a. Treasury Department
b. Federal Reserve System
c. Internal Revenue Service
d. Securities and Exchange Commission
e. Department of the Interior
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
54. Which agency is responsible for adjusting the supply of money to the needs of banks in different
regions and for the commerce and industry in each region?
a. Treasury Department
b. Federal Reserve System
c. Internal Revenue Service
d. Securities and Exchange Commission
e. Department of the Interior
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
55. All of the following are tasks of the Treasury Department EXCEPT
a. managing the federal debt.
b. printing currency.
c. administering tax collection.
d. regulating interest rates to influence the supply of money to banks.
e. policing tax collection.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
56. What is the largest federal welfare agency in terms of total budget and number of beneficiaries?
a. the Department of Agriculture
b. the Social Security Administration
c. the Office of Medicare and Medicaid
d. the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
e. the Department of Labor
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
57. The agency that administers the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program is the
a. Department of Agriculture.
b. Social Security Administration.
c. Department of Health and Human Services.
d. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
e. Department of the Interior.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
60. The Food Stamp Program, which is only given to individuals who can demonstrate that they meet
the needs-based criteria for the program, is an example of a program that is
a. means-tested. d. subsistence-confirmed.
b. needs-certified. e. threshold-compliant.
c. indigence-verified.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
61. The observation that “you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the
next place oblige it to control itself” was made by
a. John Adams. d. Alexander Hamilton.
b. James Madison. e. George Washington.
c. Benjamin Franklin.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Remembering
62. In his classic treatment of bureaucrats, the economist William Niskanen proposed that, for
purposes of modeling bureaucratic behavior, a bureau chief or department head should be thought
of as a(n)
a. expert in public relations. d. maximizer of his or her budget.
b. expert in public accounting. e. expert in human relations.
c. minimizer of his or her budget.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Remembering
63. Which of the following is a plausible motivation for explaining the budget-maximizing behavior of
bureaucrats?
a. Bureaucrats seek to increase the stock price of the agency.
b. Bureaucrats want to help the agency hire better lobbying firms and make contributions to
members of Congress.
c. Many agencies strive to attract budget resources that would otherwise go to their rival
agencies.
d. Bureaucrats want to help the department secretary finance his or her campaign for the
presidency.
e. Bureaucrats believe in the importance of fulfilling the mission of the bureaucracy and
helping people in their community.
ANS: E DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Analyzing
64. Close connections between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and legislative committees are
known as cozy little triangles. Which of the following connections is NOT part of this
relationship?
a. Interest groups provide election support for legislators.
b. Interest groups lobby legislators for large bureau budgets.
c. Legislators seek input from constituents regarding their preferences for specific bureaus.
d. Legislators provide authority and appropriations for bureaus.
e. Bureaus implement favorable policies for interest groups.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Analyzing
65. By implementing the laws and policies passed by elected officials, bureaucrats can be seen as
a. principals of Congress and the presidency.
b. principals of the American people.
c. simple cogs in the machine with little influence on policy.
d. enablers of frequent sweeping change in public policy.
e. agents of Congress and the presidency.
ANS: E DIF: Easy TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Remembering
66. A situation in which an entity chooses to rely on another entity to perform a task or service for it
but risks not having the task done according to its wishes is sometimes called a(n)
a. principal-agent problem. d. owner-contractor dilemma.
b. deadbeat servant problem. e. rogue agency scenario.
c. master-slave dilemma.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Remembering
67. A Congress or president that passes a law can be voted out of office in the next election. The newly
elected members may wish to change the law passed during the previous session. This is an
example of
a. bureaucratic drift. d. blame-gaming.
b. temporal realignment. e. coalitional drift.
c. separation of powers.
ANS: E DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Remembering
68. Which term defines the frequent phenomenon of bureaucratic implementation that produces policy
more to the liking of the bureaucracy than originally legislated, but not so much as to trigger a
political reaction from elected officials?
a. coalitional drift d. administrative retargeting
b. agency freedom e. bureaucratic drift
c. administrative relocation
ANS: E DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Understanding
69. Which choice is an example of a powerful before-the-fact political weapon for controlling the
bureaucracy?
a. the sunset provision d. the appropriations process
b. a procedural control e. a congressional hearing
c. the appointment process
ANS: C DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Applying
70. In 2013, President Obama nominated Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense to lead the Defense
Department. There was substantial controversy in the Senate regarding some of Hagel’s policy
positions, and a number of senators attempted to block Hagel’s confirmation as secretary, although
he was eventually approved by a vote of 58–41. This attempt to block Hagel’s confirmation is an
example of which type of control to address the principal-agent problem?
a. a before-the-fact control mechanism
b. a procedural control
c. an after-the-fact control mechanism
d. a control against coalitional drift
e. oversight control
ANS: A DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Applying
71. The prospect that enacted policy will change because the composition of the enacting coalition is
temporary and provisional is called __________ drift.
a. bureaucratic d. majority
b. coalitional e. legislative
c. enactment
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Remembering
72. To prevent coalitional drift from threatening carefully fashioned policies, legislators often resort to
the costly strategy of
a. severely restricting administrative authority.
b. insulating the bureaucracy from politics and securing sources of revenue.
c. setting a specific date to terminate new programs without reauthorization.
d. establishing citizen review boards, shortening the terms of office for political appointees,
and raising new taxes.
e. prohibiting lobbyists from interacting with agency personnel.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Applying
73. Protection from coalitional drift comes at the price of an increased potential for
a. agentic shift. d. administrative evil.
b. bureaucratic drift. e. free agency.
c. political exposure.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Remembering
74. The 1921 Budget and Accounting Act conferred agenda-setting powers over the budget to the
president. This change in power over the budget helped create what is now known as
a. bureaucratic drift. d. the managerial presidency.
b. coalitional drift. e. the distributive tendency.
c. congressional oversight.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Remembering
75. Which factor has led to the expansion of the president’s capacity as manager-in-chief of the federal
bureaucracy?
a. The Supreme Court mandated an expansion of the White House to keep pace with
Congressional development.
b. The expansion of Internet media required dozens of new media staffers to maintain
relations with news websites and maintain a social media presence.
c. The White House downsized the federal bureaucracy by delegating implementation of
programs to state and local governments.
d. The White House needed additional staff to follow through on presidential decisions.
e. Modern presidents spend an ever-increasing share of their time raising campaign funds, so
they delegate the task of monitoring agencies to White House staff.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Understanding
76. In 2013, it was revealed that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was inappropriately targeting
political groups applying for tax-exempt status. Prior to this revelation, the House Ways and
Means Committee had been investigating allegations of political discrimination by the IRS against
various political groups. This investigation by the House Ways and Means Committee is an
example of which type of control to address the principal-agent problem?
a. a before-the-fact control mechanism
b. a procedural control
c. control over the confirmation process of appointees
d. an after-the-fact control mechanism
e. a control against coalitional drift
ANS: D DIF: Difficult TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Applying
77. Which term defines congressional efforts to exercise control over the activities of bureaucratic
agencies in the executive branch through hearings, investigations, and other techniques?
a. oversight d. superintendence
b. regulation e. macromanagement
c. invigilation
ANS: A DIF: Easy TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Remembering
78. In the U.S. House of Representatives, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence reviews the
performance of the Central Intelligence Agency in helping prevent international terrorism. What is
this review known as?
a. grandstanding d. superintendence
b. regulation e. oversight
c. invigilation
ANS: E DIF: Easy TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Applying
80. The Department of Justice was recently involved in a scandal for secretly obtaining the phone
records of reporters from the Associated Press. Which of the following options is available to
Congress if it decides to investigate the scandal?
a. The House of Representatives could pass a resolution ordering the Central Intelligence
Agency to investigate the Department of Justice.
b. The House Judiciary Committee has the authority to fire employees of the Department of
Justice who were involved in the scandal.
c. The House Judiciary Committee could decide to hold public hearings and call individuals
from the Department of Justice to defend themselves publicly.
d. Congress can declare the attorney general and president of the United States guilty of
espionage and throw them in jail.
e. The House Judiciary Committee can file criminal charges against the attorney general and
have the Capitol Police arrest him or her.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Applying
81. An agency that doesn’t actively monitor the businesses it regulates but instead waits for private
citizens or interest groups to raise questions about the actions of the businesses can be said to use
a. fire-alarm oversight. d. no oversight.
b. police patrol oversight. e. last-minute oversight.
c. random sampling.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Applying
82. The policy of reducing or eliminating regulatory restraints on the conduct of individuals or private
institutions is called
a. deregulation. d. devolution.
b. downsizing. e. reorganizing.
c. privatizing.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Reforming the Bureaucracy
MSC: Remembering
83. Which term defines downsizing the federal bureaucracy by delegating the implementation of
programs to state and local governments?
a. devolution d. capitalization
b. outsourcing e. federalism
c. agentic shift
ANS: A DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Reforming the Bureaucracy
MSC: Remembering
84. Which term defines a formerly public activity that is picked up under contract by a business
outside of government?
a. rightsizing d. capitalization
b. downsizing e. profiteering
c. privatization
ANS: C DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Reforming the Bureaucracy
MSC: Remembering
TRUE/FALSE
3. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security was the most dramatic reform of the federal
bureaucracy since the establishment of the Department of Defense.
5. Bureaucracies take advantage of the division of labor to perform their tasks with greater efficiency.
6. Bureaucracy helps solve the problem of credibly committing to the long-term existence of a policy.
7. Due to the power of public unions, far more constraints are imposed on private employees than
public bureaucrats.
8. In contrast to their counterparts in private industry, public bureaucrats are required to maintain a
far more thorough paper trail.
9. Bureaucracies can make rules that have the full force of law, just like laws passed by Congress.
10. Bureaucrats typically leave the task of settling disputes to the courts or to Congress.
ANS: F DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - Why Bureaucracy?
MSC: Remembering
11. Congress often deliberately delegates the responsibility of lawmaking to an administrative agency.
12. The bureau level of an executive agency is higher in the federal hierarchy than a cabinet
department.
14. The first independent regulatory commission was the Interstate Commerce Commission.
15. Clientele agencies are designed to serve the broad interests of the country.
16. The agencies that collect taxes and handle money for the U.S. government are called pecuniary
agencies.
19. Policies focused on banks, credit, and currency are called fiscal policies.
ANS: F DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - How Is the Executive Branch
Organized?
MSC: Remembering
20. The single government agency responsible for all the programs making up the welfare state is the
Department of Human Services.
21. In August 1996, virtually all of the means-tested public assistance programs were abolished as a
national program and were devolved to the states.
22. Career civil servants and high-level political appointees are politicians.
23. Elections have negligible effect on the conditions for employment of bureaucrats in the United
States.
24. Legislators have strong incentives to oppose connections between agencies, interest groups, and
committees known as cozy little triangles.
25. The most powerful before-the-fact political weapon is the appointment power.
26. Tools for controlling the bureaucracy before it has taken action are called ex post facto laws.
27. Each expansion of the national government into new policies and programs in the twentieth
century was accompanied by a parallel restriction on the president’s management authority.
28. The 1921 Budget and Accounting Act transferred agenda-setting power over the budget from the
president to Congress.
ANS: F DIF: Moderate TOP: CH08 - The Problem of Bureaucratic Control
MSC: Remembering
29. In the modern age, most laws passed by Congress are really instructions to bureaucrats and their
agencies.
31. Bureaucratic drift might be contained if Congress spent more of its time on oversight activities and
less of its time clarifying legislative intent.
32. Police patrol oversight is more efficient than the fire-alarm variety given costs and the electoral
incentives of members of Congress.
33. Despite attempts to control the growth of bureaucracy, the number of federal employees in the civil
service has grown exponentially over the past 30 years.
34. The federal service has not been growing any faster than the economy or the rest of society.
35. The only certain way to reduce the size of bureaucracy is to eliminate programs.
37. Through privatization, government terminates its obligation to provide goods and services.
ESSAY
1. If Americans are so skeptical about bureaucracy, why has the most visible American response to
the threat of international terrorism been the creation of a new cabinet-level agency?
ANS:
The creation of the Department of Homeland Security was in part a political move to reassure the
public that Congress and the president took 9/11, as well as the reported failing of multiple
agencies in the months and years leading up to the attack, seriously.
MSC: Evaluating
ANS:
National policies do not administer themselves, and Congress and the president lack the capacity to
administer the laws without help. In addition to the sheer necessity of bureaucracy, there are
immense benefits to specialization—greater expertise and efficiency.
MSC: Evaluating
3. Describe how the executive branch of the American system of government is organized.
ANS:
The executive branch is divided into 15 cabinet departments, which are subdivided into bureaus
and then divisions; independent agencies; government corporations; and independent regulatory
agencies.
MSC: Analyzing
4. If you were hired as a public relations expert by the U.S. government to improve the public image
of the American bureaucracy, what specific recommendations would you make?
ANS:
This question asks for creativity. Here are some possibilities:
• Humanize the bureaucrats themselves. Show them explaining why they chose the jobs they
have and how their actions improve the lives of others.
• Highlight the benefits of bureaucratic actions, many of which may be taken for granted or
go unnoticed.
• Advertise popular programs within the government bureaucracy, such as cancer research.
MSC: Evaluating
ANS:
The primary characteristics of bureaucracy include the following:
• Delegation and monitoring from principals (like Congress) to an organized set of agents
• Division of labor
• A specialized labor force (with skills tailored to each job)
• Standardized procedures to follow
• Cultivation of external clients
MSC: Evaluating
6. Are fears about unrestrained bureaucratic growth justified? What methods have been used to
reduce the size and the role of the federal bureaucracy? Analyze the effectiveness of these efforts.
ANS:
Not really. Federal government workers have declined as a percentage of the workforce since
1970. The number of employees has been steady for state governments, federal civilian workers,
and the military. The number of local government employees increased between 1946 and 2009
but has decreased since.
MSC: Analyzing
ANS:
According to Niskanen, agencies seek to maximize their budgets. They do so for several reasons:
to increase their own compensation, to increase their own professional gratification, and to better
achieve the department’s mission. To achieve these goals, agencies may encourage their interest
group allies to lobby legislatures for additional funds, an arrangement the text calls cozy little
triangles.
MSC: Understanding
8. Do bureaucratic agencies make public policies, or do they simply implement executive orders and
laws made by Congress? Explain your answer.
ANS:
The text discusses the autonomy of agencies as a principal-agent problem on pages 307–319.
• Agencies may have preferences of their own that differ from the expectations of Congress
and the president, creating the potential for bureaucratic drift in policy from the initial
mandate toward the agency’s preferences.
• Bureaucratic drift may be facilitated by cozy little triangles of agencies, allied interests, and
committees in Congress that are connected by the same interests.
One approach to prevent this drift is before-the-fact controls: presidential appointments of loyal
directors and procedural controls built into the management system (for example, annual
budgeting). There are also after-the-fact mechanisms: presidential directives to rewrite regulations
and issue executive orders, and congressional efforts to change authorizing laws, hold investigative
hearings, or attach conditions to appropriations bills. In these efforts, Congress is aided by a
fire-alarm system of organized groups that seek congressional assistance if they are dissatisfied by
an agency.
MSC: Understanding
9. Explain how private interests have often succeeded in turning the programs designed to regulate
their behavior to their advantage. How can citizens and political leaders ensure that regulatory
agencies act on behalf of the public interest?
ANS:
Organized interests have two resources that agencies desire. First, they can help, entertain, or even
bribe bureaucrats. Second, they can help agencies lobby legislatures.
This misuse can be prevented by before-the-fact controls to regulate the interaction between
bureaucrats and private interests so there are no improper exchanges of benefits. This may include
regulating the career opportunities available to bureaucrats after they leave the agency so they do
not receive rewards for favors granted. A second strategy is openness: full disclosure of agency
deliberations, subject to evaluation by Congress and the court system. This way, any cozy
relationships can be challenged by monitors outside the system.
MSC: Analyzing
10. How can an unelected bureaucracy remain accountable to the citizenry it is supposed to serve?
ANS:
One approach to hold bureaucrats accountable is before-the-fact controls: presidential
appointments of loyal directors and procedural controls built into the management system (for
example, annual budgeting). There are also after-the-fact mechanisms: presidential directives to
rewrite regulations and issue executive orders, and congressional efforts to change authorizing
laws, hold investigative hearings, or attach conditions to appropriations bills. In these efforts,
Congress is aided by a fire-alarm system of organized groups that seek congressional assistance if
they are dissatisfied by an agency.
MSC: Understanding
11. How does the principal-agent problem apply to the president’s and Congress’s control of the
bureaucracy?
ANS:
The text discusses the autonomy of agencies as a principal-agent problem on pages 307–319.
• Agencies may have preferences of their own that differ from the expectations of Congress
and the president, creating the potential for bureaucratic drift from the initial mandate
toward the agency’s preferences.
• Bureaucratic drift may be facilitated by cozy little triangles of agencies, allied interests, and
committees in Congress that are connected by the same interests.
MSC: Understanding
12. Who controls the bureaucracy?
ANS:
The text discusses the autonomy of agencies as a principal-agent problem on pages 307–319.
• Agencies may have preferences of their own that differ from the expectations of Congress
and the president, creating the potential for bureaucratic drift from the initial mandate
toward the agency’s preferences.
• Bureaucratic drift may be facilitated by cozy little triangles of agencies, allied interests, and
committees in Congress that are connected by the same interests.
MSC: Evaluating
13. How do public agencies maintain their base of power within government?
ANS:
MSC: Understanding
14. How have U.S. presidents attempted to reform the federal bureaucracy? Have they been
successful?
ANS:
Reform methods used include the following:
• Terminating agencies: The only sure way, but politically difficult if an agency has
successfully cultivated external clients.
• Across-the-board-cuts: Too blunt, hurting both popular and unpopular agencies the same
amount.
• Deregulating: Decreases the role of agencies on specific topics.
• Privatizing agency functions: Can reduce the size of agencies, but it is unclear if it actually
saves money or maintains a similar level of benefits.
• Devolving: Shifting responsibilities for policies to state or local governments. This may
reduce the size of one agency but increase it at the next, lower level.
MSC: Evaluating
15. Should bureaucracy be reduced? If so, how?
ANS:
Not really. Federal government workers have declined as a percentage of the workforce since
1970. The number of employees has been steady for state governments, federal civilian workers,
and the military. The number of local government employees increased between 1946 and 2009
but has decreased since.
MSC: Evaluating
16. Describe a personal experience you have had with a federal bureaucratic agency. Overall, was your
experience pleasant or unpleasant? Helpful or unhelpful?
ANS:
Answers will vary tremendously.
MSC: Evaluating
ANS:
The text discusses the autonomy of agencies as a principal-agent problem on pages 307–319.
• Agencies may have preferences of their own that differ from the expectations of Congress
and the president, creating the potential for bureaucratic drift from the initial mandate
toward the agency’s preferences.
• Bureaucratic drift may be facilitated by cozy little triangles of agencies, allied interests, and
committees in Congress that are connected by the same interests.
MSC: Analyzing
18. Explain the trade-off between controlling bureaucratic drift and controlling coalitional drift.
ANS:
Bureaucratic drift is the tendency for agencies to shift policy toward their own preferences and
away from those of the enacting coalition (president and Congress at a given point in time). One
way for Congress to prevent this is to write laws that are very specific and/or require periodic
reauthorization. However, such laws are subject to major revisions when the political preferences
of Congress and the president change. This is known as coalitional drift: the tendency for laws to
shift as the enacting coalition changes. From the perspective of the initial enacting coalition,
coalitional drift is a risk to be avoided, a goal that can be achieved by granting more discretion to
agencies and making it more difficult for successive coalitions to change the initial law.
An example (not in the text) is the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), which does not require
periodic reauthorization; most of its provisions are not subject to the annual appropriations process.
Thus when Republican majorities in the U.S. House and, later, the U.S. Senate, sought to overturn
the ACA, they found it difficult to change the law or even to find bargaining leverage to bring
President Obama and Democrats to the table.
MSC: Analyzing
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VII.
— Eipä ole.
— Työmies minä…
— Jokohan on niin?
— No sitten hyvä! Sanon tässä nyt sulle, ettei ole kauan kun
aloitetaan uudelleen.
— Ehei, nyt ovat toiset miehet remmissä. Eikä kestä nyt kauan se
homma, kun näistä kasarmeista tulee omat miehet mukaan.
Poika naurahti.
— Kyll' sitä on, eikä lopukaan. Jos sinus’ on miestä, niin ei tule
taskurahojen puutetta.
— Kyllä kai minuun luottaa saa ja osaan minä niin puuhata, ettei
tietoon tule.
— Vannotko?
— En osaa sanoa.
— Kyllä.
— Sitten saat mitä tarvitset.
Poika epäröi.
Mies nauroi.
— Etkö sinä nyt tunne sen vertaa. Mutta oletko sinä varma? Jos p
— le ilmaiset, niin nirri pois! Punainen käsi on ankara!
Vai ovat sellaiset puuhat käynnissä. Oli hän niistä kuullut toisiltakin
pojilta salaperäisenä kuiskeena, milloin missäkin. Eivät kai pitäneet
häntä oikein varmana, koskeivät hänen kanssaan puhuneet. Olivat
sanoneetkin, että »se on tuo Lassi semmoinen mikä lienee, ei se ole
asioista perillä». Kohta saavat tietää, mikä minä olen, kun tässä jo
toimimaan…
— Mitä sitten?
Nainen virnotti.
Nainen meni ja vilkutteli vielä silmää pojalle. Oli saanut taas uuden
pyydystetyksi.
VIII.
Nainen naurahti.
— Niin no… osaan kyllä. Ja teen mitä käsketään. Mies joka siitä
puhui, sanoi korvattavan.
Tuollapa Mandi tulikin. Kas kun oli valkoiset kengät ja sukat kuin
herrasneidillä.
— Hei, hei! Jokos mennään? Toiset pojat kyttäsivät, etten ennen
päässyt. Tule pian, ennenkuin huomaavat, visersi naikkonen.
— No aina vähin.
Pöydän ääressä muisti Lassi että rahat olivat povella. Miten niitä
sieltä kaivaisi? Päivällä mieheltä saatu kymppi ei kai riittäisi. Taitaisi
herättää huomiota, jos tässä rupeisi rahojaan kaivelemaan.
*****
— Älä!
Valkoinen Ja musta.
IX.
Risto oli kuullut tuosta tytöstä vain hyvää ja nähnyt hänet monta
kertaa ja ollut valmis itsekin uskomaan hänet kunnon tytöksi.
— Puhu tarkemmin!
— Se on pian sanottu. Muuan kuljeksiva mies sitä viime kesänä
kertoi.
Oli töissä meillä ja oli ollut Särkässäkin ja sanoi, että komea se on
Särkänkin tytär oman kyläläisilleen, mutta kelpasi sille reisupojan
rakkaus. Ei ole parempi kuin muutkaan.